Andrew Sweetman

Andrew Sweetman is Professor and Chair of Seafloor Ecology and Biogeochemistry at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS UHI), a constituent institution of the University of the Highlands and Islands. He leads the Seafloor Ecology and Biogeochemistry research group and holds a PhD in Deep-Sea Ecology from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology.

His research focuses on anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems, including:

• Effects of deep-sea mining, aquaculture, and CO₂ leakage on benthic environments
• Climate change stressors in polar and deep-ocean systems
• Role of jellyfish blooms in carbon cycling
• Biogeochemical consequences of organic falls (wood, kelp, jellyfish)

Publications emphasize deep-sea ecosystem resilience, climate interactions, and human impacts, with recent work in Nature exploring long-term mining effects. His 86 articles show consistent focus on benthic ecology and biogeochemical processes under environmental change.

Funding leadership includes 27 projects (>£10M) from NOAA, EU, NERC, and industry partners. He directs interdisciplinary studies on ecosystem functioning and advises on UN Sustainable Development Goals related to marine conservation.